Genetic Polymorphisms of Interleukin-1 Alpha and the Vitamin D Receptor in Mexican Mestizo Patients with Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the most common diagnosis in patients with back pain, a leading cause of musculoskeletal disability worldwide. Several conditions, such as occupational activities, gender, age, and obesity, have been associated with IDD. However, the development of this disease has strong genetic determinants. In this study, we explore the possible association between rs1800587 (c.-949C>T) of interleukin-1 alpha (IL1A) and rs2228570 (c.2T>V) and rs731236 (c.1056T>C) of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and the development of IDD in northwestern Mexican Mestizo population. Gene polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism, in two groups matched by age and gender: patients with symptomatic lumbar IDD (n = 100) and subjects with normal lumbar-spine MRI-scans (n = 100). Distribution of the mutated alleles in patients and controls was 27.0% versus 28.0% (P = 0.455) for T of rs1800587 (IL1A); 53.0% versus 58.0% (P = 0.183) for V of rs2228570 (VDR); and 18.0% versus 21.0% (P = 0.262) for C of rs731236 (VDR). Our results showed no association between the studied polymorphisms and IDD in this population. This is the first report on the contribution of gene polymorphisms on IDD in a Mexican population

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

The immunomodulatory activity of extracellular vesicles derived from endometrial mesenchymal stem cells on CD4+ T cells is partially mediated by TGFbeta

Endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (endMSCs) reside in the basal and functional layer of human endometrium and participate in tissue remodelling, which is required for maintaining the regenerative capacity of the endometrium. The endMSCs are multipotent stem cells and exhibit immunomodulatory effects. This paper aimed to evaluate the regulatory effects of extracellular vesicles derived from endMSCs (EV-endMSCs) in the setting of T cell activation. In vitro stimulations of lymphocytes were performed in the presence of EV-endMSCs. These in vitro-stimulated lymphocytes were functionally and phenotypically characterized to distinguish CD4+ and CD8+ T cell differentiation subsets. Moreover, the inhibition of TGFβ was performed with neutralizing antibodies. The phenotype and nanoparticle tracking analysis of the EV-endMSCs demonstrated that they are similar in terms of size distribution to other mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes. The in vitro assays showed an immunomodulatory potential of these vesicles to counteract the differentiation of CD4+ T cells. The quantification of active TGFβ in EV-endMSCs was found to be very high when compared with extracellular vesicles-free concentrated supernatants. Finally, the neutralization of TGFβ significantly attenuated the immunomodulatory activity of EV-endMSCs. In summary, this is the first report demonstrating that EV-endMSCs exhibit a potent inhibitory effect against CD4+ T cell activation, which is partially mediated by TGFβ signalling.ISCIII cofunded by ERDF/ESF, Grant/Award Number: CP17/00021 to JGC; Consejeria de Economia e Infraestructuras, Junta de Extremadura cofinanced by FEDER, Grant/Award Number: IB16168 to JGC; GobEx (Ayuda a grupos catalogados de la Junta de Extremadura), Grant/Award Number: GR15175; Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, Grant/Award Number: IJCI-2014-19428 to BMG; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Grant/Award Number: BIO2015-67580-P; Carlos III Institute of Health-Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria, Grant/Award Number: PRB2, PT13/0001/0017-ISCIII-SGEFI/FEDER; PBR3, PT17/0019/0003 ISCIII-SGEFI/FEDER; ProteoRed; Fundacion La Marato TV3, Grant/Award Number: 20153731(122/C/2015); CIBERCV, Grant/Award Numbers: CB16/11/00494 and CB16/11/00277; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades; Pro-CNIC FoundationS

Historia de la Psicología Comunitaria en Chile: Trayectoria desde la Clandestinidad a la Política Pública

Krause M, Jaramillo A, Monreal V, Carvacho H, Torres A. Historia de la Psicología Comunitaria en Chile: Trayectoria desde la Clandestinidad a la Política Pública. In: Montero M, Serrano-García I, eds. Historias de la psicología comunitaria en América Latina. Participación y Transformación. Buenos Aires: Paidós; 2011: 115-138

Aplicación del impuesto empresarial a tasa única en combinación del impuesto sobre la renta en la industria electrónica

Seminario: La proyección del contador publico a través de la consultoría fisca

Spontaneous Activity of Neuronal Ensembles in Mouse Motor Cortex: Changes after GABAergic Blockade.

The mouse motor cortex exhibits spontaneous activity in the form of temporal sequences of neuronal ensembles in vitro without the need of tissue stimulation. These neuronal ensembles are defined as groups of neurons with a strong correlation between its firing patterns, generating what appears to be a predetermined neural conduction mode that needs study. Each ensemble is commonly accompanied by one or more parvalbumin expressing neurons (PV+) or fast spiking interneurons. Many of these interneurons have functional connections between them, helping to form a circuit configuration similar to a small-world network. However, rich club metrics show that most connected neurons are neurons not expressing parvalbumin, mainly pyramidal neurons (PV-) suggesting feed-forward propagation through pyramidal cells. Ensembles with PV+ neurons are connected to these hubs. When ligand-gated fast GABAergic transmission is blocked, temporal sequences of ensembles collapse into a unique synchronous and recurrent ensemble, showing the need of inhibition for coding cortical spontaneous activity. This new ensemble has a duration and electrophysiological characteristics of brief recurrent interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) composed by the coactivity of both PV- and PV+ neurons, demonstrating that GABA transmission impedes its occurrence. Synchronous ensembles are clearly divided into two clusters one of them lasting longer and mainly composed by PV+ neurons. Because an ictal-like event was not recorded after several minutes of IEDs recording, it is inferred that an external stimulus and/or fast GABA transmission are necessary for its appearance, making this preparation ideal to study both the neuronal machinery to encode cortical spontaneous activity and its transformation into brief non-ictal epileptiform discharges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe